Sunday, 5 May 2013

Live Review: Reiner Trio (March 30th 2013)

Reiner Trio

Virtuosi Concerts
Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall
March 30th 2013
Four stars

Reviewed by Paul R.
McCulloch

On Saturday night, the Montreal-based Reiner Trio – violinist
Laurence Kayaleh, cellist Elizabeth Dolin and pianist Paul Stewart – gave Virtuosi
Concerts patrons the opportunity to hear some rarely-heard pieces, all by
Slavic composers. The evening was just what the doctor ordered for a seemingly
interminable winter in which the trio’s performances, so full of energy and
life, were enthusiastically welcomed by the Winnipeg audience.

Stewart
introduced Rachmaninoff’s Trio elegiaque
No. 1 in G minor, a dramatic and emotional start to what would prove to be
an immensely satisfying program, with a nod to the work’s elusive origins – the
piece was written in the last decade of the 19th century and went virtually
unnoticed until 1947, when its first edition was finally published.

Needless to
say, it was a thrill to hear. Kayaleh and Dolin’s urgent strings played both
with and against Stewart’s versatile piano, which navigated the piece’s
countless twists and turns with flair and ease. Each artist alone seemed to be
an organic extension of their instrument; together, the musicians’ chemistry
was magical.

The
intelligently-structured program gave each artist the chance to showcase their
abilities both individually and within the context of a trio. Stewart and Dolin
came together on Chopin’s Sonata in G minor
for Cello and Piano, Op. 65, which the composers collaborated on with,and dedicated the piece to, cellist
Auguste Franchomme. The opening Allegro
moderato established a dialogue between the two instruments, Stewart’s
nimble piano lines rising to meet Dolin’s dulcet cello tones as the two began
an exquisitely-composed courtship. Scherzo
– allegro con brio, which incorporated elements of a mazurka – a nod to Chopin’s
Polish heritage – featured beautifully complex and full-bodied work from Dolin,
who captured the uniquely modern style and spirit of the movement.

Largo, a love duet between two instruments, was
romantic and delightful; Stewart’s melodious piano played the part of a shy
gentleman resolved to win the heart of the headstrong woman embodied by Dolin’s
cello, a quest fulfilled in the movement’s final, gorgeous, faded notes. No
sooner had the audience caught their breath than the duo surged forward into
the lively Finale – Allegro, in which
dazzling bow-work and richly-hued piano built toward a triumphant and
ovation-worthy finish.

Kayaleh
joined Stewart for an exceptional rendition of Dvorák’s Four Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75. These “four little
jewels,” as the violinist described them in an introduction, demonstrated
Kayaleh’s impressive range and intuitive command of her instrument. She made the
agile and powerful rhythms of Allegro
maestoso come alive, mesmerized the audience during the extraordinary Allegro appassionato –a movement that concluded with a
dazzling display of pizzicato – and, over Stewart’s fluid piano, brought the
intricate melancholy of Larghetto to
a place of pure emotion.

The trio came together once more for Anton Arensky’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32. Stewart
noted that the Russian composer wrote the piece two years after his pupil
Rachmaninoff’s death and dedicated it to the memory of cellist Karl Davydov.
Arensky’s work fittingly contained a breadth of moods and textures
representative of a lifetime. Scherzo –
Allegro molto featured a ‘music box’ texture, a light, playful feel and
brisk tempo, whereas Elegia – Adagio, an
elegy for Davydov, was mournful and touching. All this led to the energetic Finale – Allegro non troppo, where
violin and cello sang together as the three players raced forward to the piece’s
– and the evening’s – stunning close. Regrettably, no encore was offered.

Update 14/06/13: You can listen to CBC Radio 2's recording of this concert here.